Goblet making has long been a tradition across many cultures worldwide. With the PNW having been steeped in the Italian approach to glassmaking through the Studio Glass movement, Italian-style goblets are a fixture in our local glassmaking scene.Italian-style goblets are notable for their thinness and complexity. Goblet Week will feature five Visiting Artists who are some of the best in the game in this style: Dante Marioni, James Mongrain, Katherine Gray, Nancy Callan, and Granite Calimpong.

Each artist will spend their day in the Hot Shop showcasing their unique approach to making goblets (or “cups,” as they are affectionately called by the artists). On Sunday, the Museum of Glass Hot Shop Team will take center stage and conclude the week making their signature goblet designs. Sunday’s programming will also feature a lecture on the history of goblets by Hot Shop Emcee Walter Lieberman at 1pm. Each day, audiences will learn about the different techniques and processes used by each artist in their goblet design. See below for more about the artists.

Additionally, Museum of Glass will host an Artist Reception + Wine Tasting and Goblet Sale the evening of Saturday, January 20. More details and tickets below.

We will see you at Goblet Week!

*The Museum is offering an exclusive opportunity to watch the artists up-close with a seat on the Hot Shop floor. One seating will be available each day. Contact Lindsay Carlisle at lcarlisle@museumofglass.org for more information.

Artist Schedule

Wednesday, January 17 - Dante Marioni
Thursday, January 18 - James Mongrain
Friday, January 19 - Katherine Gray and Nancy Callan
Saturday, January 20 - Granite Calimpong
Sunday, January 21 - Museum of Glass Hot Shop Team

Artist Reception + Wine Tasting and Goblet Sale
Saturday, January 20 • 5–7pm • $50 / $35 for Museum Members
5 wine tastings + light bites

We cordially invite you to join us for an Artist Reception + Wine Tasting and Goblet Sale on Saturday, January 20. Guests will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with each of the Goblet Week participating artists and enjoy light bites and wine tastings from select wineries. Additionally, one-of-a-kind goblets created by the featured artists will be available for purchase. We encourage attendees to visit the Museum late afternoon, prior to the reception, to watch Granite Calimpong make goblets in the Hot Shop. Ticket price includes Museum admission.

This event is 21+.

TICKETS FOR THE ARTIST RECEPTION ARE NEARLY SOLD OUT. Please contact Lindsay Carlisle at lcarlisle@museumofglass.org to inquire about available tickets.

Dante Marioni

Wednesday, January 17

Dante Marioni’s sophisticated glass objects evoke the rich tradition of classical Mediterranean pottery and bronzes, a result of his training in centuries-old Venetian glassblowing techniques with some of the greatest masters in contemporary glass, including maestro Lino Tagliapietra.

The son of studio glass pioneer Paul Marioni, Dante learned traditional Venetian glassblowing techniques from some of the greatest masters in contemporary glass. He began blowing glass at the age of 19, and presented his first solo gallery show in Seattle four years later. Since the strong start of his career, Marioni has garnered international recognition and acclaim for his elegant and inventive work in glass.

For Marioni, making objects is about the art of glassblowing rather than the creation of glass art, the process rather than the result. Marioni’s elegant works are the brilliant record of his ongoing relationship with, and exploration of, this material.

dantemarioni.com

James Mongrain

Thursday, January 18

James Mongrain makes Venetian-inspired glass goblets of many shapes, sizes, and colors. During his early career, he focused his attention on becoming proficient in the Venetian tradition of goblet-making, and he continues to be inspired by traditional Italian forms. “In my work, I strive for a level of precision that unites traditional elegance with contemporary flair,” says Mongrain. “It's important for me to make something that's new, that can hold my interest, and it needs to be honest and true.”

Mongrain was introduced to glass at Moorhead State University in Minnesota, and later studied glassblowing at Massachusetts College of Art and the Appalachian Center for Crafts. He has been a lead gaffer for Dale Chihuly since 1998 and has worked with well-known contemporary artists Jim Dine, Kiki Smith, Jeff Koons, Robert Wilson, and Walter Lieberman.

mongrainglass.com

Katherine Gray and Nancy Callan

Friday, January 19

To Katherine Gray, glass is a material of both otherworldly perfection and of mundane familiarity. With her work, Gray asks her viewers to consider the notion of disappearance, as glass can be so ubiquitous that it is often not even noticed. Her work ranges from blown-glass sculptures to assembled installations of found glass.

Gray earned her undergraduate degree from Ontario College of Art in Toronto, and her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. She has exhibited in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington state, and Denmark. Her work has been reviewed in the New York Observer, Artforum, and the Los Angeles Times. In 2017, Gray received the Libenský/Brychtová Award from the Pilchuck Glass School for her artistic and educational contributions to the field. Besides making her own work, Gray has written about glass, curated and juried multiple exhibitions, and has taught workshops around the world. Currently, she lives in Los Angeles where she is a professor of art at California State University, San Bernardino. You can also catch her on Netflix, where she serves as the Resident Evaluator for the reality glassblowing competition series Blown Away.

katherine-gray.com

Nancy Callan’s artistic voice as a glass sculptor reflects her high-level training and talents. Callan attended the Massachusetts College of Art (BFA 1996) and lives in Seattle, WA where she is part of the vibrant Northwest glass community. Callan’s numerous awards include the Creative Glass Center of America Fellowship and residencies at the Museum of Glass (Tacoma, WA), The Toledo Museum of Art (Toledo, OH), and the Pittsburgh Glass Center (Pittsburgh, PA),and The Chrysler Museum (Norfolk, VA). In addition to exhibiting and creating her own work, Callan enjoys the challenges of teaching and sharing her skills with students. She has offered advanced glassblowing workshops at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA, The Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, PA, Haystack Mountain School in Deer Isle, ME and Penland School of Crafts in Ashville, NC.

nancycallanglass.com

Granite Calimpong

Saturday, January 20

Granite Calimpong received his BFA in Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts and Music from UC San Diego where he was introduced to working with glass. Calimpong moved to Seattle in 2007 to become involved in the thriving glass community that exists in the region. He has worked as an artist assistant and a fabricator, and has maintained his own studio in the city for the past twelve years. Calimpong has shown his glass work across the nation and has taught numerous workshops at institutions including the Pilchuck Glass School, Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the Pittsburgh Glass Center.

 “A great deal of my practice over the past decade has been wrapped up in trying to improve my ability to see: to see form, to evaluate formal relationships, and to visualize that which I want to create. Making, assessing, scrutinizing, making again; a tedious process of incremental gains. It is this practice that has led to my current curiosity and investigations into the physical nature of sight and the peculiarities of vision in relation to the ways in which we perceive the world. Utilizing a variety of mediums, I constantly search for ways that material can express not only my amazement with our perceptual faculties, but also my frustrations with apparent systematic shortcomings.”

granitecalimpong.com

Museum of Glass Hot Shop Team

Featuring artists Ben Cobb, Nick Davis, Kristin Elliot, Gabe Feenan, and Sarah Gilbert, the Museum of Glass Hot Shop Team is one of the best glassblowing groups in the world. Each with their own unique skills, this collaborative team can be seen in action every day the Museum is open. The Hot Shop Team is instrumental to Visiting Artists, offering support as gaffers and helping to bring each artist’s vision to life. The Hot Shop Team also creates work on commission and for the Museum Store. For over 20 years, the Hot Shop Team has been designing and making unique goblets for the Museum’s annual Red Hot Auction & Gala.

Outside of MOG, each member of the Hot Shop Team is active in their own artistry and glassmaking practice. Learn more about each artist below:

Ben Cobb: benjamincobbglass.com
Nick Davis: nrdglass.com
Kristin Elliot: gritcitycoldworks.com
Gabe Feenan: gabefeenanglass.com
Sarah Gilbert: sarahgilbertglass.net